The True Meaning of Hero
by The Hamartia of it All
Summary: After reflecting on the events in Troq, the Titans make a family pact. Slight Robstar and BBrae, but mostly a story on the Titans' familial bond. No flames, please!


_A/N: So I was rewatching Troq and I had this overflow of feels because of the way that the Titans reacted after they found out what Val-Yor was really calling Starfire and saw the way he was treating her. I thought it was just beautiful how quickly they changed their views of him, when they initially thought he was a hero and looked up to him, so I wanted to explore their thoughts on Starfire's wisdom and Val-Yor's thinly veiled racism. Hint of Robstar and BBRae (who fight like a married couple), but the rest of the story focuses on the Titans' friendship. I should really be studying._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing. Italics are direct quotes from the episode_

* * *

_The True Meaning of Hero_

With his arm in a sling and a look of wounded pride on his face, Val-Yor turned to the Teen Titans on the roof of their tower. _"Well, thank you for all your help."_

_"Don't thank us. Thank Starfire,"_ Robin replied, struggling to maintain his composure and control his anger.

Beast Boy, who was usually as cheery as the alien princess herself, glared at the silver captain and snapped, _"Yeah, she's the one who saved your sorry butt." _Though their friend had yet to explain the full details of what had happened, they were all aware that Starfire was the one who saved his life. Multiple times.

Grimacing, the proud captain turned to Starfire. _"Thank you… Starfire." _It probably took all of his willpower to use her actual name. Starfire remained saddened and disappointed. _"I have to admit you're not so bad for a Tro — Tamaranean."_ He hesitated, then forced a smile. _"You must be one of the good ones!"__  
_

_"No," _Starfire replied with a strong voice that contrasted the look on her face. _"The fact that I rescued you does not make me any better than other Tamaraneans."_ The Titans were amazed at her humility and selflessness: She was willing to let this guy spit all over her for the sake of her people, not allowing him to see her as superior to others of her own race.

But Val-Yor was unconvinced, and immediately took offence. _"Look, I'm trying to pay you a compliment!"_

_"Then why does it still sound like an insult?" _Raven spat. It was rare for her to show this much anger and still keep control over her powers, but no one messes with her friends.

Val-Yor desperately turned to Robin. _"Spike, you understand. I didn't mean anything by it. It's just —"_

_"Val-Yor, I think it's time for you to go."_ No longer marvelled at his presence or his nickname for him, the Titans' leader stood firmly by the side of his best friend and glared down at the pilot.

_"I thought you Earthlings were all right," _said the bigoted Val-Yor, who sneered at the Titans before turning back to his ship. _"I guess I was wrong. You're just like the_ Troqs."

The silver spaceship that carried the Vernathian pilot disappeared into the sky as the sun set on what began as an ordinary day. Starfire found herself subconsciously following it as it left Titans Tower, but stopped once it had vanished. She sighed quietly, sorting through the muddled and dizzying thoughts in her mind after all she and her friends had gone through that day. The air was tense, and the four native Earthlings watched their friend with concern and guilt. They were so blinded by Val-Yor's compliments and heroic courage that they couldn't see how badly he treated their friend until they nearly lost her.

Robin was the first to break the silence, and held back his desire to take her hand and comfort her. _"I'm sorry Val-Yor treated you like that. If I'd have known, I never would've let it happen."_

_"None of us would,"_ Cyborg added softly. The Titans watched their friend, waiting for a reaction. Tears? Angry starbolts? Tamaranean cursing?

But what Starfire said next stunned them. _"There is nothing you could have done. There will always be people who say mean words because you are different. And sometimes their minds cannot be changed. But there are many more people who do not judge others based on how they look or where they are from. Those are the people whose words truly matter." _And for the first time since the pilot's arrival, their friend smiled.

The Teen Titans found themselves smiling back as they walked inside the Tower together and gathered in the Ops room at the table they had been playing cards at. No one needed to be told that they were about to have an important discussion, and all took their regular seats. Robin pulled out Starfire's chair for her and pushed her in, making his best friend blush contentedly.

"So, Star, wanna tell us what happened back there?" Cyborg asked cautiously, worried he might strike a nerve like before, when he called Starfire "Troqqie" without knowing what it meant. Starfire was his little sister; he should be protecting her and cheering her up, not hurting her. The half-robot promised himself that he would never make that mistake again. He never wanted to be the cause of his friends' pain and silent suffering.

Their green friend nodded in agreement. "Yeah, like how you kicked those Crixies' butts!"

Raven smacked the back of his head. _"No,_ how about you explain why you didn't tell us right away that he was treating you like trash?" Normally, Raven was hard to impress when it came to new heroes and potential allies, but seeing Val-Yor in action that morning had dazzled her and blinded her. Even though the empath sensed her friend's distress, she ignored it and allowed herself to think that it was merely Starfire being nervous about their mission. But she knew Starfire better than that, and seeing her friend — _maybe_ even her best friend on the team — so hurt by this bigot was giving the empath immense guilt, even after Starfire had reassured them that they were not at fault.

Starfire sighed. "Our mission was much more important than my feelings. If we did not destroy the Lorcrix, they would have spread to other planets and caused mass genocides, even Earth. And even if I did take a stand against Val-Yor, it would have only confirmed his prejudiced opinion of me." Then she saw the guilty looks on her friends' faces. "Do not worry, dear friends. You are not at fault, and there is nothing you could have done to prevent it."

"Maybe, to some extent, we were," Raven said, meeting each of her friends' eyes respectively. "We saw it happen. We saw the look on her face. We stood by and ignored it. Bystanders who do nothing are just as guilty as the tormentor." The three boys nodded in agreement, while Starfire stared down at her hands.

Robin reached for her hand and held it firmly. "Wanna tell us what happened after we landed on the Lorcrix planet?" He thought back to when he first found out the meaning of Troq from Cyborg. It angered him to learn what Val-Yor — whom moments before he was idolizing — was calling his best friend, and it pained him to realize that Starfire didn't turn to him first. They were best friends; he trusted her more than anyone else on the team, and she was always the one she turned to when she was upset. But Cyborg had been there first; he'd greeted her at the airlock and probably comforted her after her scare with the space mines. Seeing her risk her life for this guy who was treating her like dirt was both bewildering and impressive, but if Robin had his way, he'd never allow it to happen again.

Taking a shaky breath, she squeezed her best friend's hand and recalled the mission as honestly as possible. "After you and Cyborg had cleared the way for us, I flew beside Val-Yor as we hurried to the Lorcix's central core. He had yelled at me to get out of his way, but I remained by his side and protected him from the Lorcrix who would have otherwise attacked him. Then he refused my help when he struggled to pull the Quantum Eradicator up a steep hill, and ordered me to stay outside once we had arrived at the entrance. I disobeyed his commands and followed him inside, in case he would be ambushed by more Lorcrix. Val-Yor successfully placed the eradicator inside the central core and activated it, but then he said that I was welcome to stay behind while the eradicator went off." The Titans gasped in horror. The fact that Val-Yor valued her life so little appalled them, and even Beast Boy found himself shaking with fury. "Yes, I too was taken aback, but I was not about to allow him to leave me there to die. Val-Yor, however, became trapped in an energy field surrounding the central core and was injured in the process. He then ordered me to leave without him, saying that there was nothing I could do. But I could not bring myself to let him die, even if he did not value my life. So I broke through the energy field and —"

"Hold up," Cyborg interrupted, still in shock. "You _broke through_ an energy field?! But that's, like, against the laws of physics!"

This caused Starfire to giggle briefly. "No, it is very possible, albeit quite tiresome and painful. But it is possible. As Val-Yor had said, my people can withstand hostile conditions."

"Holy guacamole!" Beast Boy cried. "You're even stronger than Val-Yor! And he still looks down on you? What a moron!" Beast Boy, too, had suspected something off about the way Val-Yor had treated his friend. While the others were under the impression that he was the oblivious and less-than-intelligent one, his animal instincts had sensed hostility and hatred coming from the silver pilot whenever he looked at Starfire. He didn't dwell on it for too long, though, since he couldn't figure out why he seemed to hate Starfire so much. Who could hate someone who treated everyone with so much kindness? But turning a blind eye to his friend's distress, especially when she stayed behind on their way to the briefing and sat far away from them, had caused intense feelings of guilt to wash over him in waves. Anger too, at Val-Yor for being so mean to her.

"There are those who feel that Tamaraneans are inferior, not because of our appearance and strength but because of our way of life," Starfire replied sadly. "Our powers of flight and strength are harnessed by our emotions. Many feel that this is a hamartia, as they feel warriors should not express their emotions or even use them in battle. They feel that the only emotions one must use in battle is anger and hatred."

"That is messed up!" Cyborg cried angrily.

"Yeah!" Beast Boy agreed. "What's a hamar… thing?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "If you read books that didn't have pictures in them, maybe you'd know that 'hamartia' means a 'fatal flaw.'"

"If I didn't read books with pictures in them, how would I know what was going on?"

"This thing called an _imagination,_ which means using your brain? Obviously you can't —"

"Guys!" Robin yelled, slamming his free hand on the table. He was slowly losing control of his anger, but was determined to stay strong for Starfire. "Continue, please, Star."

"That is all you need to know," she replied, finally meeting his masked eyes. "After I freed him from the energy field, I took him back to the ship to give him the medical attention he required."

The Titans fell silent, still seething with outrage. Robin was shaking, and even Starfire's hand in his couldn't calm him down. He had to make sure this would never happen again. But before he could speak, Beast Boy broke the silence.

"I can't believe I thought he was cool," he mumbled.

Cyborg sighed. "I can't believe I wanted to be like him."

Raven nodded. "I can't believe I let him call me 'Sunshine.'"

"We were blinded by his confidence and courage," Robin stated. "When we first saw him, we were all impressed by how he handled those Lorcrix all by himself. And then we were even more impressed by his heroic and brave stories of his battles with the Lorcrix. We thought he was a true hero, and we all wanted to be like him so much that we didn't see his true nature." He took a breath, and recalled his mentor's teachings. "But a true hero isn't someone who fights evil all the time, or laughs in the face of danger, or shows off their strengths to everyone. A true hero is someone who is compassionate of everyone; someone who's selfless and does things for the greater good. Someone who doesn't allow prejudices or their own feelings about something to get in the way of doing what's right. Someone who doesn't brag about their accomplishments or sees themselves as better than everyone else." He turned to his best friend and smiled. "Someone like Starfire."

Their alien friend blushed, and let a big smile spread on her face. "I thank you for the compliment, friend Robin, but it is not I alone who understands and represents the true meaning of hero. You all are true heroes in my eyes, and the most wonderful family I could ever wish for."

"I guess we are a family," Raven agreed, allowing herself to smile. "We may get on each other's nerves a lot but we still protect each other no matter what."

The Titans leader smiled. "Exactly. And since we're a family, I never want any of us to go through this ever again. I'm proud of you for putting our mission first, Star, but I still wish you told us. Raven's right: If we see it happening and we don't do something about it, we're just as guilty as the one who did it. And we _did_ see the way Val-Yor treated you. We were just too blind to see how it was really affecting you to do something about it. So from now on, if any of us feel uncomfortable with a potential ally, we should speak up. We're family, and we'll look out for each other no matter what."

"You got that right," Cyborg added with a big grin on his face. "If Silver-Butt ever shows his face on Earth again, he won't have a friendly reception. And if anyone messes with my siblings… well… they better have a will ready if they think they can get away with it!"

"Friends, I promise that I will confide my feelings of distress should anyone treat me like this again," Starfire said, reaching for Cyborg's hand with her free one.

Robin grinned. "Titans, I say we make a pact right here and now. Because Star's right: there will always be people like Val-Yor out there. But that doesn't mean we'll stand by and let it happen. If we ever feel like someone's treating us like dirt, we'll tell each other and protect each other." With his free hand, he reached for Beast Boy, who took it. Then Beast Boy cautiously held his out to Raven, who did not hesitate as she took it and extended her other hand to Cyborg. Soon the Titans were joined in a circle, about to make their pact official. Sure, they'd unconsciously done it before, but after this day, they never wanted to repeat those mistakes.

"You guys are the brothers and sisters I never had," Cyborg said, fighting back the tears that were choking him. "I don't know what I'd do without y'all."

Even Raven couldn't help but feel sentimental. "I've never been around people who made me feel less… creepy. You guys are my family. And if anyone hurts my family, there will literally be hell to pay." She let her eyes glow with dark energy briefly before giving a small smile.

"I never thought anyone'd accept me into their team after I left the Doom Patrol," Beast Boy admitted softly. "But you guys took me in and saw past my flaws and green skin, and you always look out for me. I wanna keep doing the same."

"Agreed, friends!" Starfire cried happily. "When I first came to this planet and made the decision to stay, I did not think I would fit in. But you all made me feel so welcome and safe, and with X'hal as my witness, I will strike down anyone who causes you pain and suffering!" Her eyes glowed green with starbolts momentarily, then giggled.

Robin was last, though being raised by the Dark Knight, it was hard for him to express his true feelings. 'What could I possibly say without choking?' he thought to himself. "You guys are my only real family, and I promise I'll never let anyone hurt any of you ever again." It was all he could manage, but it was enough for his friends to understand and smile back at him.

Slowly, the chain broke, and Beast Boy was the first to break the silence. "So, anyone else craving Chinese?"

Starfire clapped her hands happily. It was amazing how quickly she got over the whole ordeal. "I too have had the appetite for the Chinese delicacies!"

"I want me some Kung-Pao chicken!" Cyborg shouted as he jumped out of his seat and ran to the phone.

Beast Boy got up and chased after him. "Hey! Make sure you order mine with tofu!"

"I ain't ordering your fake meat! Hey Rae, you want fortune cookies with yours?" Cyborg called. "Better hurry, I'm orderin' now!"

The empath sighed, back to maintaining control of her emotions yet unable to hide the mixture amusement and annoyance on her face. "Coming…"

Only Starfire and Robin remained at the table, nervously waiting for the other to speak up.

"Uh, Star —"

"Robin, I —"

They blushed and giggled when they realized that they had interrupted each other. Ever the gentleman, Robin said, "It's okay, you go first."

Starfire nodded gratefully. "I apologize for not considering your feelings when I did not inform you of Val-Yor's derogatory name for me."

Robin was taken aback, and felt his eyes widen. Deja vu. "_You're_ sorry? Starfire, it's my fault for turning a blind eye to it. I wanted so badly to be as brave and heroic as he seemed. But no one's as brave as you are, Star. You're a true hero." He gazed into her eyes and smiled, then took her hand again.

"You are a true hero as well, Robin. You may not realize it, but I do." Starfire squeezed his hand and returned the smile.

"I kinda wish…" He hesitated to tell her. What would she think of him if he told her that he was jealous of the fact that she'd turned to Cyborg first? That the way he'd reacted when Cyborg told him was a mixture of anger at Val-Yor and jealousy of Cyborg? 'She'd think less of me,' he concluded sadly. 'I'm being selfish. She needed a friend, and I wasn't there for her.' Robin sighed. "Never mind."

"But I wish to know —"

"Yo, Star! Rob! If you don't tell us what you want for dinner then you're not getting any!" Cyborg shouted to them as he held Beast Boy away from him at arm's length. Beside them, Raven rubbed her forehead irritably, and begged the two with her eyes to save her.

Starfire giggled, and, respecting her best friend's wishes to drop the conversation, she flew out of her seat and pulled Robin with her as they joined their friends in ordering Chinese food.

Maybe there was nothing they could do to stop people from hurting their friends. But a true hero, and a true friend, always stands up for their loved ones. And so, on that day the Teen Titans officiated their previously unspoken family pact. Nothing could break their bond.

Even the end of the world.

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_Author's Notes:_

_1) I know it's never directly stated who Raven's best friend on the team is, but I always assumed it was Starfire after the events of "Switched," and how Starfire was usually the only one allowed in her room without being screamed at to leave or having the door slammed in her face (most of the time). They also work really well together and I just love seeing them interact_

_2) I apologize if anyone seems out of character… I was analysing their reactions at the end of the episode when they tell Val-Yor to leave_

_3) I also apologize if it's a bit cheesy… I wrote this on a sugar high and then a post-sugar high crash…_

_4) "Even the end of the world" - Troq takes place in season four, Raven's story arc._

_Thanks for reading! Episode two of Teen Titans - Season Six will be posted on Monday after my last exam. Thank you for your patience and amazing feedback!_

_Please r & r, and no flames!_

_Oh my god look at the time… I should really go to bed…_

_Maribel ∞_


End file.
